Get Adequate Sleep the Night Before If you have spent any significant amount of time preparing for the exam, then you will know that your score will benefit more from some extra sleep than it will be from a few last-minute cram preparations

Make Sure You are Comfortable with the Computer Tutorial The exam will begin with a tutorial on using the computer. We do not recommend rushing through it. If you have adequately prepared yourself for the exam, you will suffer no short-term memory loss in the few minutes it takes to complete this tutorial. You do not want to find that, having rushed through this tutorial, you panic when the timed test begins and you’re suddenly not sure how to scroll through the long passages in the verbal section. Finally, this tutorial provides an excellent way for most test-takers to calm their nerves before delving into the actual test questions

recommend rushing through it. If you have adequately prepared yourself for the exam, you will suffer no short-term memory loss in the few minutes it takes to complete this tutorial. You do not want to find that, having rushed through this tutorial, you panic when the timed test begins and you’re suddenly not sure how to scroll through the long passages in the verbal section. Finally, this tutorial provides an excellent way for most test-takers to calm their nerves before delving into the actual test questions

Keep Moving Keep moving through the test and try to finish each section. The best strategy is to pace yourself so that you have time to consider each test question and make your best answer choice. You may not skip questions, and randomly guessing answers to questions at the end of each test section can significantly lower your scores. Try to Relax Yes, this is easier said than done – even for admissions consultants who have already taken the exam, and even graduated from business school. Nonetheless, worrying and stressing over the exam will do nothing to boost your confidence or increase your ability to answer the questions correctly.

Keep in mind that the exam is only one component of your total application package. Admissions committees at the most selective business schools normally give your academic qualifications, including grades and other non-exam components a weighting of between 30% and 40%. That means that you may still be a very competitive applicant, even if your exam score falls somewhat below the median of those applicants historically accepted to your top-choice schools. Don’t Waste Time This advice probably seems self-evident, but we mention it because we’ve had clients tell us how they wasted time by revisiting the help screen or requesting extra scrap paper after they had already begun their test. These activities, if undertaken once the section has begun, will only take valuable time away from working on the questions.

Think Very Carefully Before Doing Any of These

Before you cancel your score or quit the exam, ask yourself whether you are sure this is what you really want to do. It has been our experience that most test takers who cancel their scores or quit the exam do so irrationally. You probably know from your previous test experiences that you often turn out to have done better on an exam than you thought you would while you were taking it.

It is human psychology to dwell more heavily on the questions you believe you answered incorrectly rather than on the (hopefully) more numerous questions you probably answered correctly. Try to keep this in mind when the GMAT/GRE CAT asks if you want to cancel your scores or see them immediately. It is our frank advice that, unless you felt deathly ill during the exam, you should not cancel your scores

Become Familiar with the Testing Facility Find out where the nearest bathroom and water fountain are located before you begin the test. You are allotted only two 5 minute breaks during the exam, and will want to be able to locate those facilities when you need them. It is also not a bad idea to figure out ahead of time how to get to the test center and to arrive there well before your scheduled time on test day.